San Francisco

Lardless & Lovely

Scrumptious even without the lard "Healthy Mexican" is oft regarded as an oxymoron. Without the lard, it just isn't authentic. One place that seeks to buck that trend is Taco Grill, located in, of all places, Fruitvale. Located in the Fruitvale Public Market, part of an effort to revitalize the neighborhood, it bills itself as offering a health-conscious and sustainable Mexican dining experience. The tortillas are crafted from organic corn, and Niman Ranch and Rocky Free Ranch chicken in the carne and pollo asada, carnitas, and chorizo. Most of the menu consists of standard fare, but the specials are well-priced at $6.50 and includes a choice of beverage. If you're still concerned about the taste of the food without the lard, don't worry, it's excellent. So go ahead and indulge without the guilt.

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Restaurants • Oakland (Overview Map)

How Come You Taste So Good?

Normally, I don't like having to go out of my way to go to brunch. It's too much trouble for my favorite meal of the day, and it's a waste of fuel. But after discovering the Brown Sugar Kitchen, tucked away among former warehouses in West Oakland, with its nondescript brown facade, I realized that sometimes it might be a good thing for good food to be kept in a secret location, free from crowds and excessive noise. The delicious Southern-inspired dishes are comfort foods at their best--it's hard to choose from a menu that includes crispy chicken with waffles accompanied by apple cider syrup, poached eggs buried in creamy cheesy grits, and a delicious selection of home-baked pastries. As much as I try not to drive, I've realized that there are some things worth burning fuel for. Good thing I drive a hybrid.

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Restaurants • Oakland (Overview Map)

And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead

In American culture, death is a somber event: everyone decked in all black, long faces, tears and shit, that one scummy cousin trying to score a grief fuck. But in Mexican culture, death is a time for celebration, a time to honor the passing over into the spirit world. You don't cry that your homie died, nah, you're glad that they're up out this hell hole. Dia De Los Muertos is the annual celebration of these spirits and it's the best goddamned party in the Fruitvale. This year the event takes place on Sunday October 26th and everyone's welcome--living, dead and somewhere in between--to listen to the Mexican Banda musicians, watch performances by Latino and Native American dancers, grub on choice traditional foods and check out the elaborate alters constructed along the length of International Blvd near the Fruitval BART station. Death done right.

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Events • Oakland (Overview Map)

A Pricey Pieza of Peace

With restaurant robberies becoming an epidemic throughout the Bay Area, particularly in the East Bay, I was a bit on edge in preparing for a recent night out. My friend and I selected La Taza de Cafe for its highly-rated traditional and innovative tapas and live entertainment. It didn't take me long to feel at ease in the classy establishment, located in a converted house on a quiet stretch of Grand Ave. All night, I felt as if I was relaxing in someone's home. The tapas were pricey, although the all-you-can-eat menu of Cuban specialties on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings and Sunday brunch are reasonable. And while I'm still bit wary when dining out, I know I can rely on a homey setting and delicious food to keep me at ease.

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Restaurants • Oakland (Overview Map)

Burn Baby Burn

The Crucible is like that one little cousin who's always setting shit on fire. Every time you turned around--lighter in hand, I-didn't-do-it expression on face, flames everywhere. Undercover pyromaniacs and Mad Max wannabes throughout the Bay know this West Oakland hot spot as a fire starter's playground, but for the rest of us it probably only invades our conscious during the yearly Fire Arts Festival, when I'm positive that the glow from the 40 foot flaming robots and dragons out front can be seen from space. But in addition to its various flaming festivals, this nonprofit offers weekly classes in glass blowing, blacksmithing, welding, bike repair, alterations and just about everything you need to create your very own Thunderdome, then burn the fucker to the ground. And don't be intimidated if you don't fit the big burly metalworker stereotype. The Crucible offers classes for the entire family taught by largely female instructors. Seriously Hot-For-Teacher. Be sure to stop by the Fall open house on Saturday, Sept. 6.

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Theaters-Performing Arts Centers • Oakland (Overview Map)

Rich People and Fresh Veggies

It's a tiny little farmer's market but it's still pretty cool. Every Sunday the fresh veggie peddlers and the go-getting entrepreneurs who are taking their recipes for all manner of canned, jarred, pickled, vacuum-sealed and otherwise packaged home recipes to the public line up on a busy strip of upscale Montclair Village and do their thing. We found that two laps around the entire circus yielded enough free samples of fruits, veggies and homemade ephemera that we should have skipped lunch. And did I mention the rotisserie chicken van? If you ever come across one of these bad boys consider yourself in flavor country. Hot, fresh whole roasted chickens at your fingertips for just a few bucks. And if you aren't into animal flesh, the van was flanked by several Indian food tents, and a falafel stand. And another barbeque joint, I should mention.

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Shopping • Oakland (Overview Map)

Oakland Art Murmur

Today, June 6th in various Oakland locations: San Francisco has the traditional hold on the monthly first Thursday art crawl; but across the bay in Oakland, cutting-edge art is being shown on a non-school night, first Fridays. Hopping on the BART is even easier than it sounds--and that mass of water is just a physical boundary keeping you away from a thriving art community. Take a ride to the 19th Street station, walk a few blocks north, and you're there. 23rd Street, between Broadway and Telegraph Avenue is the Art Corridor; a handful of the galleries are stuck right here as well as nearby Grand Avenue and 25th Street (both near Broadway); More intrepid gallery-hoppers may venture further north toward the Temescal neighborhood. Be sure to check out Johansson Projects and Industrielle, as well as 21 Grand gallery, which has recently re-opened its doors for live music. It's all on Art Murmur's handy map. Try the nearby Flora, Luka's Taproom, and Franklin Square Wine Bar to stay hydrated with cocktails, beer, and wine, respectively. Last BART train heads back to San Francisco at 12:45am. It doesn't get any better or easier than that. So get out there. No Excuses.

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Events • Oakland (Overview Map)

Truth! Beauty! Glory!

I don't throw the words "great American hero" around lightly, but the person responsible for the lunch and brunch buffets at the venerable Piedmont Grocery is indubitably one indeed. Think Vegas, or Reno--except with the sort of esoteric and fresh ingredients one might expect from the posh Piedmont boutique grocery. The food is incredible--it stands up to any number of critically acclaimed restaurants up and down Piedmont Avenue--yet unlike most items actually sold in the grocery store the buffet is quite affordable. The variety of dishes offered is staggering, and I haven't ventured into the salad bar yet for fear it might short circuit my brain (further). They charge by the pound, so it's really up to the conversation between one's eyes and stomach as to how much you pay for lunch, but find another place where I can walk out with stuffed mushrooms, chicken parmigiana, braised bok choy, and gruyere scalloped potatoes for under 10 bucks and I'll happily go there and write about it as well.

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Supermarkets • Oakland (Overview Map)

So Nautical, So Right

Set along the busy shipping channel of the Bay betwixt Oakland and the quaint isle of Alameda, LJ Quinn's Lighthouse offers up only the sort of character one might expect from a restaurant and bar that has more parking spots for boats than cars. This place is full from head to toe with ephemera--and we're not talking about hokey TGIF Friday crap--genuine oddities donated from nautical passersby over the years. The floor of the upstairs bar and outdoor patio (with spectacular views of the waterway and the downtown Oakland-ish skyline) are typically covered in peanut shells as Quinn's indeed offers complimentary ground nuts to it's second floor patrons. And what sort of crowd might such an 1890's era saloon attract? A combination of bikers, yachters and people who generally prefer to live on boats in the event a quick departure is in order. Throw in Oaksterdam's loyal hipster types and there you have it. The menu also deserves mention, as comprehensive and scattered as the clientele, with portions intended for only the saltiest of mariners.

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Restaurants • Oakland (Overview Map)

Homo golphus

Winding down the steep driveway, through a tunnel of ancient eucalyptus, one gets the sense that perhaps something pre-historic may lurk at the end of all the twisted asphalt and creaking branches. Well, I wouldn't go so far as to call the Montclair golf course, driving range, restaurant and bar pre-modern but this little enclave of eccentricity is certainly a throwback. Whether or not you have any interest in the pitch and putt or the driving range (it's kind of cool hitting balls into a wooded canyon, who knows how they get them back) the restaurant and particularly the large bar are typically filled with a truly bizarre cast of characters. The place is flat out hard to find; one usually has to be led there. Perhaps this explains why so many strange folk converge here to throw 'em back and play some dice. Tired of track lighting, pretentious bar staff and soju cocktails? Belly up to the bar at Montclair driving range, and soak in some stories about the days of yore. It sure kicks the shit out of TV.

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Golf Courses • Oakland (Overview Map)

Seedling Cornucopia

The selection of bulk items at the Food Mill is vast and impressive. They carry just about every type of grain, nut, dried fruit, legume, herb, and spice. Looking for teff flour? Amaranth? Cardamom pods? Juniper berries? Dried chamomile flowers? Find them here, in just the amount you want or need, along with staples like peppercorns, cocoa powder, split peas, brown rice, and dried currants. Even honey and peanut butter come in buy-what-you-like options. The Food Mill is a mecca not just for cooks who want fresh herbs and spices in specific amounts to ensure freshness and potency, but is also a haven for the health conscious who flock there for the plentiful selection of vitamins, supplements, and every type of vegetarian foodstuff available. Not sure if you should be buying carbonate, citrate, lactate, or gluconate calcium supplements? The knowledgeable staff will be all too happy to talk (and talk and talk) to you about which is best and why.

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Shopping • Oakland (Overview Map)

Practical Advice on How to Avoid Firestorms

It’s a fascinating paradox that one of the richest real estate markets in the country and probably the world is located on top of an active fault line in a known natural fire corridor, and what a better way to celebrate this paradox than with an equally quixotic and expensive “Exhibit Center and Garden.” The Gateway Center is an exhibit station resembling the burned-out frame of a house—an homage to the Oakland Hills Firestorm of 1991—and a garden area composed of fire-resistant landscaping and a completely bizarre Stonehenge-like rock formation. If you’re interested in learning just how potentially doomed we are for living in the Bay Area, or you just want to check out the view or maybe perform a Druid harvest ritual or something, the Gateway Center is for you. Also great for picnics!

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Landmarks • Oakland (Overview Map)